"Shocked and heartbroken, but it's true," he wrote. "An official statement will come out as soon as we have one."

Bennington was best known as the frontman and one of the principal songwriters for Linkin Park, the Grammy Award-winning group who influenced a generation of aspiring hard rock bands.

Linkin Park reached the top of the US charts with their albums Meteora, Minutes to Midnight, Living Things and this year's comeback record One More Light.

Only two weeks before his tragic death, Bennington was on stage with Linkin Park for two headlining gigs at the O2 Academy Brixton in London and Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.

Suicide is preventable. Readers who are affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org), or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.